The Bridge is a present-day crime thriller exploring the tensions on the US-Mexico border. When an American judge known for her anti-immigration views is found dead on the bridge connecting El Paso and Juarez, Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger) from El Paso PD must work with her Mexican counterpart from Chihuahua State Police, Marco Ruiz (Demian Bichir), to catch a serial killer operating on both sides of the border. Marco understands the slippery politics of Mexican law enforcement, and while his police force slowly succumbs to the pressures and demands of the cartel, he's one of the last good men in the department. He's charming, but also cunning as he will do whatever it takes to get what he needs. This does not sit well with Sonya, who has Asperger's and strictly follows rules as well as protocol. Her candid and off-putting personality fuels an unforgiving drive for truth. The case quickly pulls them into a string of murders on the border, a scene already consumed by illegal immigration, drug trafficking, violence and prostitution.

What happens when two police detectives from two different countries must work together to solve a murder case? The Bridge, which started in 2013, hopes to answer that question. Based on a foreign television series that aired on Swedish and Danish television stations, the American version moves the series to a bridge that connects the United States and Mexico.

Diane Kruger, best known for her roles in the National Treasure franchise and Inglorious Basterds, stars as Detective Sonya Cross. Like the main character on Homeland, Cross suffers from a mild case of Asperger Syndrome, which makes it difficult for her to connect with those around her. Mexican actor Demián Bichir Nájera plays Detective Marco Ruiz. Nájera previously received an Oscar nomination for his work in the film A Better Life.

The television show focuses on a body found on the Bridge of the Americas, which connects the U.S. to Mexico. As the body sits directly on the bridge between the two countries, Cross and Ruiz must work together. When the detectives arrange to transport the body, they discover that they're actually looking at two different bodies. One of the bodies belongs to an American judge known for her tough stance on immigration, while the other half of the body belongs to a young Mexican girl.

As the show progresses, viewers learn more about the background characters that appear in the pilot. Charlotte is a young woman traveling across the bridge with her husband, and while she originally only appears in a few scenes, it quickly becomes clear that her relationship with her husband plays a pivotal role in the series, especially when she takes viewers into her home and finds a cell phone that her husband kept tucked away. Viewers will also learn more about the journalist covering the story, played by Matthew Lilliard.

Most of the show focuses on the investigation led by Ruiz and Cross. Despite suffering from a condition that makes it difficult to form relationships, Cross is a strong character that shares an adversarial relationship with Ruiz. Though the two characters are very different, they lead the show and draw viewers into the story. The Bridge opens on a dark moment, but the show introduces some lighter moments as the storyline unfolds.